Gottfried II (Brittany)

Duke Gottfried,
miniature in a manuscript from the 14th century

Gottfried II. (French: Geoffroy , eng .: Geoffrey ; born September 23, 1158 ; † August 19, 1186 in Paris ) was an English prince from the House of Plantagenet and by marriage Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond .

Life

He was the fifth child of King Henry II of England († 1189) and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine († 1204).

Gottfried's father reached in 1166 by Duke Conan IV. Of Brittany , the abdication in favor of Godfrey, but should assume the regency in Brittany until they reach maturity. In addition, he was engaged to Conan's daughter and heiress Konstanze, but the marriage was delayed because the Pope initially refused to grant the necessary dispensation - the couple were too closely related. In 1181 the marriage with Konstanze could finally be consummated and Gottfried became Duke of Brittany in the name of his wife.

From this marriage there were three children:

• Eleonore "Fair Maid of Brittany" (* 1184; † August 12, 1241 as a prisoner at Corfe Castle )
• Mathilde (* 1186; † died young)
• Arthur I. (born April 13, 1187, † April 3, 1203 in Rouen )

In 1172 Gottfried took part in the unsuccessful revolt of his brothers and his mother against the king (his father), supported by King Louis VII of France and Count Philip I of Flanders . The uprising was suppressed by King Heinrich II until 1174 and ended with a reconciliation of the Plantagenets in Gisors . On August 6, 1178, Gottfried was knighted by his father in Woodstock . In 1183 he allied himself with his eldest brother Heinrich the Younger against their brother Richard the Lionheart , after the latter had refused to pay homage to the young Heinrich as requested. Allegedly, Gottfried was the driving force of the struggle, as he envied Richard's rich Aquitaine . The two brothers received the support of King Philip II of France , who sent them mercenaries. However, the fight ended with the death of young Heinrich in June 1183, whereupon Gottfried had to reconcile with Richard in November 1184 under the pressure of his father. Gottfried then went to the court of the French king, with whom he was on friendly terms and from whom he received the office of Seneschal of France .

In August 1186 Gottfried was trampled to death by a horse at a tournament in Paris; he was buried in the choir of Notre-Dame . According to Gerald of Wales , King Philip II is said to have been so heartbroken that he wanted to throw himself into the grave.

Gottfried's widow came into conflict with Richard the Lionheart over the guardianship of her children, in the course of which she handed the children over to the court of King Philip II, who since then has acted as a guarantor of Brittany's independence from the Plantagenets.

literature

• Alison Weir: Britain's Royal Families. The Complete Genealogy. The Bodley Head, London 1999, p. 60.

Web links

• Geoffrey at fmg.ac
• Geoffrey II Plantagenet, Earl of Richmond on thepeerage.com

predecessor	Office	successor
Conan IV.	Duke of Brittany (de iure uxoris ) 1181–1186	Constanze ( Arthur I. )